


Casting Circles

by secondhandact



Category: Homestuck
Genre: Anxiety, F/F, Fluff, Nervousness, Witchcraft, Witches, and Rose is a comfort, in which Aradia is unsure
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-07-13
Updated: 2017-07-13
Packaged: 2018-12-01 19:09:06
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,245
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/11492805
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/secondhandact/pseuds/secondhandact
Summary: The night of a full moon is always a good time for new witches to practice their arts.





	Casting Circles

**Author's Note:**

  * For [sapphicstarshine](https://archiveofourown.org/users/sapphicstarshine/gifts).



The drive out to your favorite ritual spot is long, but you don’t mind. Aradia is driving and Jade is chattering away happily in the front seat, and you have plenty of books to keep you occupied. You’re not planning on anything fancy tonight — a simple luck spell, maybe; just some words and a few sigils drawn with your wand — but anytime the three of you get together to do anything even a little witchy, you always want to bring your books. Your favorite time to be reading is when both of your girlfriends are talking nearby. The sound of their voices going back and forth is soothing in a way that nothing else ever is, and more calming than the streams you like to meditate beside. 

You adore them, fiercely, and you’d do anything for both of them. 

Aradia’s jeep is already muddy, which means she doesn’t bother missing any of the holes in the dirt road, and she hits one that jostles you so bad your teeth clack together. Every bump makes Jade shriek with unbridled delight, and the sound of her joy makes the roughness worth it. Aradia’s laughing (a treasured sound) and when she finally reaches the turnoff and turns the Jeep off, it takes a couple seconds for both of them to catch their breath.

Jade wrinkles her nose at the books you’ve got stacked next to you. “Are you gonna haul all of those to the clearing?”

You raise your brows at her. “You won’t help?”

She exhales a puff of a sigh, pouting at you. “It just doesn’t sound like a lot of _fun,_ and I thought tonight was mostly about just, you know, taking in the moonlight, not anything _big_ —”

Aradia interrupts her. “It is. And our favorite flower isn’t going to bring any of them with her. They were just for reading in the car.” 

You can’t help your grin. Aradia never indulges your teasing for long, and it’s one of the reasons you enjoy her so much. “Aradia’s right. I’m not going to ask you to haul anything to the woods tonight. Maybe in the future.”

“ _Probably_ in the future.”

You snicker. “But tonight is for dancing.” You unbuckle yourself and push at her seat. “So get out.”

There’s a little more jostling as the three of you pile out of the Jeep, and you stoop to scoop up your little black backpack. It’s got your supplies in it - because even if the night is just about dancing, you’re not foolish enough to go dancing in the middle of the forest at twilight without at _least_ casting a circle.

Jade probes at your backpack. “Can I cast circle tonight?”

“Actually...” You let your gaze slide to Aradia, who is staring up at the sky through the trees, hugging herself. “I was gonna ask Ra’ if she wanted to.”

“That’s an _awesome_ idea,” Jade enthuses. 

Aradia doesn’t respond, and when Jade slides her arms around her waist, she tenses for a second before relaxing under the touch. She rests her hand on Jade’s wrist, blinking owlishly at you. “Did you say something to me?”

You tap the strap of your backpack. “I was gonna ask you if you wanted to cast the circle when we get to the clearing.”

“Oh!” She looks as startled as she sounds, and her cheeks color slightly. “I mean—I’d like to, but are you sure?”

The moon, high overhead, reflects off her glossy hair and your heart skips a beat. Jade’s smiling at you over her shoulder, all dark skin and big eyes and you’re pretty sure that your body right now is a good study for The Effects of Love on the Human Condition. (That’s a book to write later.) 

You clear your throat. “Of course I’m sure. Circle is easy.” You reach out, catching her hand with yours and tugging her closer to you. Jade comes with her, so that both of your girls are within easy reach of you, and you give each of them a kiss. “You should both be more confident in your abilities,” you murmur, tapping Aradia’s nose. “Witchcraft isn’t nearly as complicated as you think it is.”

Jade giggles when you tap her nose, and then the three of you untangle enough to fall into step one after another. The trail isn’t as worn as some of the paths around here, but you’ve known this way step by step since you were young. You can feel the clearing before you see it — the trees crowd in closer and the night air tastes electric and warm — and you close your eyes as you take the last few steps into the wide meadow that cuts across the forest. 

Jade’s already stripping off her shirt, and she spins across the clearing in only her skirt, which flares out around her knees. The noise she makes is pure joy, and you smile as you watch her, kneeling and unzipping your backpack.

Aradia crouches down in front of you, wrapping her arms around her calves and hugging her knees to her chest, and she combs some of her thick hair over her shoulder, staring at you from behind it. “Rose, I don’t know if I should cast anything tonight.”

You blink up at her. “Why?”

Aradia swallows. “I just...don’t always feel the things I think I’m supposed to. And what if, what if I can’t channel the energy properly? And I’m just, I don’t know, really nervous.”

You settle your hands in your lap. “If you don’t feel confident in casting a circle, I’m not going to force you. But—” You hold up your hand, forestalling anything she was about to say. “—I want you to try and remember, there’s no right or wrong way to do this. There aren’t really _rules_ , just advice. The way I feel energy might not be the same way you feel it. We aren’t the same, and that’s okay.” You let silence hang for a minute, watching her. She doesn’t look any more excited; if anything, she just looks more anxious. She’s scrunched down her shoulders and staring at her toes. You reach out, cuffing her gently under the chin, so she looks up at you. “Jade wanted to cast the circle, anyway.” You offer the words with a faint smile.

Relief washes over her face, and she returns your smile gratefully. “Yeah, that’d be good.”

You rise, clearing your throat. “Jade!” She comes dancing back to you, bouncing on the balls of her feet. You reach down and pick up your bag, handing it to her. She bounces for a second longer, glancing at Aradia with a quizzical expression. You distract her with a quick, light kiss. “Go cast circle for us, puppy princess.”

She giggles and drops to her knees, digging through your bag for the right tools, and you turn back to Aradia. This time, when you tangle your fingers with hers, you tug her up to her feet, leaning forward to kiss her. In return, she pulls you into a hug, clinging momentarily to you. “Thank you.”

You kiss her one more time, before stepping back from her. “Of course.”

She smiles at you, turning away and watching Jade as she moves around the two of you. 

The night is young and you are in love, and the two girls who have your heart are beautiful. There is magic in the air.

You could not be happier.

**Author's Note:**

> I tried to leave this pretty open, as I'm not educated enough in the ways of witchcraft (and it's _really hard_ to find good sources online) to know much about it. I left it as open as I could, so you can interpret their practice however you want. =3
> 
> Thanks for reading.


End file.
